Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Direct Quoting Which one to use when and how

Using sources Sources support your argument ▫It’s like having your boy in your corner in a fight Sources make you look more credible ▫It’s your “I know what I’m talking about” card Sources help broaden your and your reader’s understanding ▫They illustrate your point better than you could and lead you to more information you could include in your paper (and make it longer!)

How to include sources There are three ways you can include a source: ▫Summarize ▫Paraphrase ▫Direct Quote

Summary To summarize, you: ▫Shorten a large piece of text (anything from a paragraph to an entire book) down to just a few sentences ▫Focus on the most important aspects of the source ▫Use your own words

When to choose summarizing Summaries are useful when: ▫The information you need to include in your paper is just an overview of the entire source ▫The whole source is too much to include

An example of summary Source: ▫The Australian Clown Association manual Summary: ▫The Australian Clown Association manual outlines the rules of the organization, lists the members, and explains when and where clown festivals will take place (

Paraphrase To paraphrase, you: ▫Rephrase a small piece of text (one or two sentences) in your own words ▫Focus on the idea of the sentence(s), not the wording

When to choose paraphrasing Paraphrases are useful when: ▫The information you need out of the source is just one or two sentences ▫You do not want to directly quote the sentence(s) ▫The idea of the sentence is more important than the exact words of the original source

An example of paraphrasing Source: ▫Australian Clown Association manual Original: ▫The new clown will register his or her name with the clown registry no less than ten days before and no sooner than forty-five days before the first official performance. Paraphrase ▫New clowns have to register the names they want to use ten days before they perform for the first time (

Direct Quotation To directly quote, you: ▫Place a piece of text from the original source in quotation marks ▫Use the exact wording found in the original source ▫Use a full sentence or two or part of a sentence with an introduction (see example).

When to choose a direct quotation Direct quotations are useful when: ▫The exact words that the original source is important ▫The text you want to use is short

Example of a direct quote Source: ▫Australian Clown Association manual Original: ▫Clowning has been a long standing tradition in Australia that captivates the hearts of millions and advances Australian culture around the world. Direct Quotation: ▫Steve Bean, the president of the Australian Clown Association, says that Australian clowning “captivates the hearts of millions and advances Australian culture around the world” (

BUT! You can’t just spout information you found as if it was your own. ▫THAT’S STEALING! (AND WILL EARN YOU A GREAT BIG ZERO) Cite, cite, cite the source!